Obverse: Diademed and Draped Bust of the
Empress Facing Right
Reverse: Felicitas, Standing to the Left, Leaning
on a Column, Holding a Caduceus
Julia Mamaea was the eldest daughter of Julia
Maesa, that intrepid strong woman of Roman
politics during the Severan period. Her son
became the emperor Severus Alexander after his
brother, the degenerate Elagabalus, was deposed
and murdered by the Praetorian Guard. Severus
Alexander was the exact opposite of his brother.
He gave all the signs of turning out to be a
responsible emperor who would govern wisely
and not fall into the depravity that characterized
his brother’s reign. Both he and his mother were
under the control of the powerful Maesa until she
died in A. D. 226. At this time Mamaea, last of
the strong Severan women, took over the role of
dominating and directing the man who occupied
the throne. Julia was killed by Roman army
officers along with her son in 235 A. D.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a memorial
an emperor’s mother passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant today as
the day it was struck.
- (C.0539)
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